Capture of the Generals
by RoyxRizaFan
Summary: When the Noah somehow catch the generals, Cloud Nine is trapped with Cross Marian for hours on end. Will he drive her insane, or will other emotions rather than irritation and annoyance be exchanged between the two? CrossxCloud
1. Capture of the Generals

I had practically no idea how this had happened

I had practically no idea how this had happened. I woke up slowly, first noticing the tight grip of bandages all over my body. The next thing I realized was that the surface beneath me was hard and cold. Next, I felt warm breath drifting across my face.

"Cloud, are you awake now?" the low voice asked slowly.

My eyes flickered open to reveal Marian Cross' face was less than an inch away from mine.

"God!" I cried, annoyed and taken off guard, rolling to my side as fast as I could. "What are you _doing_…?" As I sat up, my eyes swept the room. It was small, square room with hard concrete walls. I glanced to my side and saw large metal bars replacing one of the four walls.

Oh, _no_.

"Cross," Sokaro called gruffly from the other side of the room. "How can you be so calm during a moment like this? _All four generals _were just _caught _by the Noah! What are the odds of that?" He grunted loudly, rolling his eyes. "This is one of the strangest coincidences ever, and all you've got on your mind is women!"

"Actually, I was thinking a little about how badly I need a cigarette, too," Cross argued, a sly grin creeping across his face.

I leapt to my feet, scanning the room in horror. Sure enough, I wasn't alone – Cross, Sokaro, and Tiedoll were all sitting on the hard floor, staring back at me. I shook my head in disbelief. "No _way _did we all get caught…no _way_…"

Cross shrugged. "Yet here we are, a large, happy family."

I wanted to hit him more than ever right then. If he didn't shut up, I was never going to get to the bottom of this. Why did Cross always have to make everything seem so unimportant? He should take his job more seriously! "What happened?" I demanded.

Tiedoll shrugged. "I passed out and woke up here. I don't know anything beyond that." He glanced around at the others, nodding. "Pretty much the same thing happened to everyone else."

"This is unheard of!" Sokaro scoffed, crossing his arms. "How can this happen to powerful, well trained generals so easily?"

I brushed a hand through my hair, having no idea what to think. Shutting my eyes tightly, I tried to remember back to when I had passed out. Everything was pretty much a blur. I remembered bits of the brutal fight we had been part of, but not the entire picture.

"You may have been sleeping all day, but we haven't," Tiedoll piped up, breaking my thoughts. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."

"In _here_?" Sokaro demanded bitterly. "We should try to escape!"

Cross smirked. "You've been saying that for hours. It's about time we give up. We can start again tomorrow, right?" He yawned obnoxiously, slumping over onto the ground. "I need some sleep, at least."

I rolled my eyes as he almost immediately began snoring, his mouth hanging open. Did he always sleep like this? What did all those women _see _in him?

The others, even Sokaro, fell asleep almost as immediately. I wondered how long they had been awake. I had, on the other hand, been unconscious all day. I wasn't very tired at all. Lying on the cold, damp ground, I tried to force sleep onto myself, but it was impossible. I gave up and concentrating on bringing back my memory.

I had been pretty beaten up before I went unconscious. I remembered getting all the injuries that covered me. It wasn't too farfetched that I'd gone unconscious.

Wide-awake, I sat up, leaning my back against the wall and glancing at the other generals. My eyes finally focused on Cross.

He was really strange, that Cross. Always so shameless and obnoxious, even when he slept. How was it possible that he still annoyed me when he was completely unconscious? How ironic was it, though, that he didn't even shut his mouth when he sleeps? I groaned, rolling my eyes once again.

Unconsciously, I began watching him a little more closely. His snoring slowed down after a while and turned into relaxed, rhythmatic breathing. His long, red hair was sprawled all around him across the floor. My eyes fell on his mask, and I suddenly became curious as to what he was hiding underneath it.

Somehow, my curiosity increased with each breath he took in, my eyes unable to tear away from his mask. He seemed to be sound asleep, so I reached out hesitantly.

What was I thinking? Was I seriously going to touch Cross when he slept? He would definitely take that the wrong way. If he were asleep, though, how would he know?

I gently wrapped the tips of my fingers around the mask, lifting it as slowly and carefully as I could. When his fist wrapped tightly around my wrist, preventing me from lifting it any further, I actually jumped from shock.

I released the mask, tearing my hand away from his. Glaring at him, I whispered, "I thought you were asleep!"

"I was," he chuckled, "but then I woke up."

I raised an eyebrow. "Because I _touched _you?"

He shook his head. "I was awake before then. I just pretended to be asleep to see if you'd try it."

My eyes widened. "You knew I was going to?"

He shrugged. "_Everyone _does."

I hesitated before asking the next question on my mind – I wasn't too keen on making friendly conversation with him. "Why are you so afraid to show your scars?"

He reached out, drifting his fingers through my bangs without raising them. I backed away from his warm touch, my head nearly banging into the wall. "Why are _you_?"

I pressed my lips tightly together, not knowing how to respond.

Cross leaned forward, leaning against the wall next to me and brushing his hand through my hair again. "It's too bad that those other two are here. I hardly ever get you alone."

"That's because I _avoid_ you," I reminded him.

He laughed again. "And why is that?" he asked, as if humoring me.

I glared at him from the corner of my eye. "Why do you think? You're a pig, general."

He laughed a little louder this time, throwing back his head a bit and finally dropping his hand from my hair. "You never beat around the bush, do you, Cloud?"

"Never," I agreed, avoiding his eye contact again.

He never asked for an explanation to my accusation that he was a pig. I supposed it was so obvious that even _he _noticed it.

It was silent, then, which I was only partially grateful for. When it was quiet, things felt awkward and I had the sudden need to fill in the silence with small talk. I usually didn't feel like this; I only spoke when I felt it was necessary. Cross sure did have a strange affect on the people around him.

It worked vice versa, too, apparently. I felt his eyes digging into my face. I shot him a glare from the corner of my eye, not wanting to imagine what was going through his mind as he looked me up and down.

"You know, we really _are _missing out on a great opportunity because those two are here," he thought aloud. "That _monkey _is with the enemy, so he can't bite my nose if I, say, tried to _kiss _you." As he said it, he began leaning in to my face again, his warm breath caressing my face.

I rolled my eyes, leaning away and kicking his leg. "Back off, Cross. Just because I don't have my Innocence doesn't mean I won't kill you."

He laughed again, stretching. "That's too bad. You'll come to your senses soon enough, though, Cloud." He winked at me. "I _am _irresistible, after all!" Before I could snap a snide comment at him, he continued on. "Not tonight, though. I think I'll go back to sleep, then!" He rested his head on the ground, shutting his eye.

I glared at the ground for a moment before turning the gaze to him. "How do I know if you're asleep or not?"

A smirk crept across his face. "You _don't_."

_Author's notes: Thanks for reading my story! I hope you liked it and that you'll keep reading as it continues! Reviews are always appreciated!_


	2. Trapped with an Idiot

I fell back into the cell, sinking onto the cold floor, feeling more defeated than ever before

I fell back into the cell, sinking onto the cold floor with my back facing the bars, feeling more defeated than ever before. I had been so _close _– I had actually _seen _beyond the door – when I was caught _again_. How pathetic was this for an exorcist general to be caught not only once, but also again when she was attempting an escape?

Sighing heavily, I shut my eyes, placing my face in my hands. Now I was completely alone. Why was I the only general who had failed to escape on top of it all?

I pressed my hands even harder to my face. What did the Noah even _want_? According to them, they were just keeping us locked up here so we didn't cause any trouble. Scratch that – it wasn't a _we _anymore; it was _me_.

I felt a warm, steady air blowing against my neck. Figuring the Noah had turned on the heat, I chose to ignore it until I heard his voice. "Why do you look so down, beautiful?"

Just when I had thought there wasn't anything worse than being the only general that couldn't escape. I spun around, staring at Cross with wide, petrified eyes. "_You _were caught _too_?"

He smirked his lopsided grin and shrugged, sitting cross-legged in front of me. "I was almost there when I realized you weren't behind me anymore. It took a moment of debating, but in the end, I realized that it would be a waste to give up this great opportunity of being alone with such a lovely woman!"

I groaned loudly, falling onto my back and pressing my hands against my forehead. "Tell me that's not the real reason you're here?"

Cross put his hands on either side of me, leaning down so his body was only inches away from mine. "I can't think of a better one."

I suddenly regretted lying down. Using my arms, I pushed myself backwards and sat up, leaning against the wall. "Lay off, Cross. Sorry to disappoint you, but you would have been better off leaving when you had the chance. I'm not like the other girls you know – I'm not going to believe all your bull."

Cross sat up straight again, laughing at my bitter tone. "Ouch, that was harsh, Cloud!"

"Good. Just as I intended."

He slid across the ground, sitting next to me again. "I suppose the other two got away, then."

I rolled my eyes. "How convenient. Don't tell me you paid them off to get some alone time with me or something like that."

His face lit up in shock, and for a moment I thought he was offended by my assumption. "Now why didn't _I _think of that? We could have done this a lot sooner!"

I couldn't resist it – I elbowed him roughly in the side, not caring how childish I seemed. "You never learn a thing, do you?"

"Never!"

I let out another groan; shutting my eyes and leaning my head back again. The cold wall was good on my pounding head. All the aggravation and stress of being not only captured but also trapped with Cross was really wearing me down. What I really needed was some more sleep, but that wasn't easy with Cross around.

"You know," he began again after a moment of silence. "Lulubell is the one watching us."

I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. I shrugged, opening my eyes to peer over at him. "So?"

The corner of his mouth began to raise and I shut my eyes again, not knowing if I should even bother listening to whatever he was going to say next.

"I'm sure she's bored," he began, "and she seems like the type who wouldn't mind if we put on a show for her-"

"Cross, if the Noah don't kill you, I will."

"How? If you're going to do it with your whip, I wouldn't mind one bit!"

My eyes flew open, glowing angrily at him. "_No_," I corrected in an impatient tone, "I'm going to have Lau Shimm slowly dismember you with his teeth and then devour all the little pieces."

He cringed. "For such a beauty, you've got quite a sick mind."

"I'm a general, aren't I? Besides, you shouldn't judge a book my its cover, not that you read or anything."

He ignored my last stab, slumping down onto the ground. "Well, then, Lulubell's just going to have to be bored tonight. I'm going to sleep."

I pulled my legs to my chest, nudging myself further away from where his body was sprawled out on the ground. "You do that."

He fell silent almost immediately. It was as if he had a switch that he turned on and off, to talk or not to talk. I wish I knew where it was so I keep him quiet.

I stared out of the bars, replaying my attempt at escape over and over again in my mind, trying to figure out how I had been caught and the others hadn't. Even _Cross _had had a choice to stay or to go. What was wrong with me lately?

It was probably a good thing that some of us were still here, though, since Sokaro and Tiedoll's Innocence were still in the Noah hideout.

Cross was sound asleep now. he rolled over, his hair flowing out across the ground so it was within my reach. I stared at the long, red strands, and had the sudden urge to run my fingers through them, just to see what it felt like. Obviously, many women found Cross attractive, but I had practically no idea why. Either the other women were insane, or there were some redeeming qualities in him, even if they completely disregarded his personality.

Hesitantly, I reached out and placed my fingers in his hair, slowly running them through it. His hair was so soft-

Cross rolled over so fast that I hardly had time to pull my hand back. He smiled at me. "I caught you _two days in a row_!"

My mouth was hanging open in complete shock, and it took me a moment to recollect myself. When I did respond, I was gasping. "You were awake…_again_?!" His only answer was a broader grin. I clenched my fists at my sides, feeling color rushing to my face. "Do you _ever _sleep?"

"Not when there's a pretty lady around."

I once again buried my face in my hands, shaking my head in disbelief. With both of us up, this was sure going to be a long night. Suddenly, I was missing the other generals. A _lot_.


	3. Up at All Hours of the Night

.

"I can't imagine never sleeping," I commented with a bitter tone, though I had a funny feeling I would soon enough. How could I fall asleep with Cross still awake?

"Why waste the night sleeping?" he laughed. "There're so many _better _things to do!"

I turned around, staring him straight in the eye, trying to keep my expression fierce. "Tell me, Cross. What exactly do you do that keeps you up so late?" I wondered if he could say it straight to my face.

He smirked, leaning forward, his expression the opposite of mine – calm, serene, and humorous. "Women."

My jaw dropped open, and even I was shocked that he had said it so bluntly to my face without the least bit to restraint. Then again, how could I be shocked by _anything _Cross did at this point?

He leaned back, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows, waiting for a reaction. I just turned away, sitting cross-legged on the ground. I wished even more than before that I had been able to escape. The Noah could have Cross. We had survived four years without him; I'm sure we could survive another decade…or two…

"Can you at least _try_ to sleep?" I snapped, finding that my voice was losing its edge. I was beginning to lose hope.

Cross sighed dramatically. "I _wish_, but that's impossible. My body doesn't allow me to sleep when there's a-"

"-Beautiful lady in the room. I know, I know." I groaned heavily, leaning back against the wall and shutting my eyes so that I didn't have to see him. How much longer was this night going to last? How much longer was it going to be until we were rescued? I wasn't sure if I could take another minute, let alone day, alone with Cross like this.

He stretched his arms out in front of himself. "I guess this is going to be a long night, huh?"

"Understatement."

"We'll have to find a way to keep busy." Just as I turned to shout at him, he added, "No innuendo intended."

I turned away again, but not without muttering, "Yeah, right," under my breath. Then, louder, "What do you have in mind?"

"A lot of things," he responded, a snicker rising in his voice.

"CROSS!"

"Sorry, it was too tempting for me to resist," he laughed. "You get so worked up over everything that I can't help but tease you."

I decided not to respond to that. I waited silently for his answer, figuring that I might as well listen to his idea if I had the entire night to kill.

He looked at the ceiling thoughtfully, and I half expected a light bulb to appear above his head – it was so strange to see Cross Marian _concentrating_. "Hm…well…we could _talk_, I guess."

"Isn't that what we're doing now?"

"No, this is me teasing you. Talking is different."

I rolled my eyes. "As if you know how to talk without adding a perverted comment to the conversation."

Cross shrugged. "I have to refrain from my usual…um…speech when I talk to people like Leverrier."

I smirked, remembering our latest meeting. "You don't refrain much."

"One of us has to keep the meeting interesting. Otherwise someone might fall asleep."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Come off of it! You're always the first to fall asleep!"

"Nuh-uh! Zokaro sleeps, too. He's been practicing so that he can do it with his eyes open. Not that anyone would notice, anyway – they're all afraid to make eye contact with him."

I was little taken aback when my laughter increased, but I couldn't hold it back. I stared out of the cell bars, refusing to make eye contact with him, but I listened. Just imagining Zokaro actually doing that was too amusing _not _to laugh at.

Cross was laughing, too, and I could feel him watching me. I tilted my head away from him, feeling a little self-conscious.

"Cross, how is that you fall asleep during those meetings?" I asked, unable to withstand my curiosity.

"What do you mean? It isn't hard once Leverrier starts _rambling _like that about _nothing _at _all_…"

"I thought you said you couldn't fall asleep when there's a girl in the room," I pointed out. "I'm in those meetings, aren't I?"

Cross shifted himself so his face was in mine, but I still refused to look at him. His breath touched my face lightly as he spoke. "Yes, but we aren't _alone _then. It's much more _exciting _this way. How could I fall asleep with all the tension in the air?"

I rolled my eyes, now glancing towards the corner of the ceiling. "You came close that time, didn't you? To making a perverted comment?"

"Obviously. But I didn't, did I?"

I felt my mouth curving into a frown again and he backed away, falling back into his seat. I shot a quick glance at him, wondering what had suddenly changed his mood. His smirk was gone and his mouth was a straight line.

"What?" I asked.

"No, it's just that I don't want to ruin it," he explained, though I didn't really understand what he was saying.

"Ruin _what_?" I repeated.

"You were fine just talking," he pointed out, "but I got carried away. Let's go back to talking. I don't want to drive you insane."

I couldn't look away this time. I was staring at him now, wondering if I heard correctly.

A smirk finally formed on his face again, allowing me to calm down a bit. At last, he let out a laugh, adding, "Though I don't know how my amazing looks haven't driven you insane yet!"

I smacked him in the arm, although I was relieved that he wasn't serious anymore. "Cross!" I cried, trying to sound harsh, though I could feel my voice cracking under my restrained laughter.

"Yes?" he asked in an honest tone.

I rolled my eyes, slumping back into my original position. "Impossible."


	4. A Step Forward, or Backwards?

"Let's play a game."

"Huh?"

"I said, let's play a game!"

I let out a long, exasperated sigh. This night had already lasted two thousand years, and now he wanted to play a _game_? I slammed my head back against the wall, shutting my eyes and rubbing my temples.

"What _kind _of game?" I asked, irritated.

He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Well, I can think of _plenty _of games I could play with a beautiful lady like you." Just before I went to slap him, he quickly added, "_but _I have an even better idea tonight!"

"What could be better than _Cross games_?" I asked sarcastically.

He smirked. "The 'You Owe me a Bottle' game."

"The _what_?"

"You heard me. The 'You Owe me a Bo-'"

"I _know_, but what does that mean?" I felt like laughing at the absurdity of what he was saying.

He leaned against the wall next to me, seeming even more entertained than before. "I ask about something I've done, like, 'have you gone skiing?' and if you haven't, you owe me a bottle of wine. Then you ask me something, and so it goes."

"That's crazy," I snapped. "We don't have a thing in common. We'll be in deep debt to each other by the time we're done."

"Dept, women, and alcohol are what my life is about. This great game sums it all up into one."

I cringed. "What about cigarettes, then?"

"I'm trying to quit," then, muttered, "sort of."

I rolled my eyes again. This seemed like absolute lunacy, but I had nothing better to do and who knows, I might actually get a laugh out of it. Maybe. "Fine. You start."

"Okay. Have you ever been drunk out of your mind?"

I groaned. "I should have known your questions would be stupid. I'll go, and show you what a _real _question is like."

He smiled. "Oh, but if you're avoiding the question, then _obviously _you _have _been, but you just don't want to admit it!"

"Have you ever owned a pet?" I asked, cutting him off.

He stopped shouting, but his smile didn't waver. "Does Allen count?"

"You're an ass."

"A hot ass."

"A tight ass."

"A hot, tight ass-"

"It's your turn!"

"Have you ever checked out my ass?"

"What the-? Cross, are you trying to say that you've checked yourself out before?" I laughed in disbelief.

"No, I was just wondering."

"Back to the game!" I cried, even though I knew the next question probably wouldn't be much better.

"Ever been _kissed_?"

I shrugged, tilting my face away from his. "Sure, I have."

"By someone you _loved_?"

"That's two questions," I reminded him. "My turn, now."

While I thought of a question, he said, "You're avoiding the question again."

"Have you ever done something you've regretted?" I asked, my tone more serious than I had intended.

"Nope." I groaned, leaning even further away from him. I had almost believed him before had said, "Of course I have."

"So even _you _regret things?" I wondered aloud, a little taken aback.

"Sure, I regret plenty of things." He glanced off into the distance. "You don't lead a life like mine without regrets."

"Might I ask what one of them would be?"

"Nope."

I crossed my arms. "Then don't expect an answer from me."

He scratched his head, switching back to his carefree self almost immediately. "This is terrible. We don't owe each other anything yet. I'm going to have to be hard this time around." He smirked. "Which should be easy for _me_."

"I'm sure of that."

He leaned forward, his cheek nearly touching mine and his lips hovering at the corner of mine, still pulled into a tight smirk. "Ever _slept _with someone?"

I grabbed his shoulders, pushing him back into his place. "It's bad enough you're asking that without acting the question out!"

He gripped my hands, holding them against his shoulders. "Well?"

I pursed my lips. I wasn't going to answer such an immature question. I should have known better than to play this game in the first place.

His smile broadened. "You owe me a bottle," he told me, pushing my hands off of his shoulder and back by my sides. He kept his hands on mine, though, and began to move himself towards me, closing the distance in-between us before his lips were once again only inches away from mine, ready to lock with them any moment if I didn't do something quickly. I wanted to stop him, but then I was suddenly on my back, and all my thoughts popped like balloons and I couldn't concentrate, and all I could see was his long, red hair and all I could hear was the pounding of our hearts, beating against each other, and all I could feel was Cross' hands on mine, and his weight on mine, then it was his lips against mine, finally, he had actually kissed me, just what I had been expecting this entire time, and his hands were in my hair and mine were in his, weaving through his long, red locks, tightening my arms around his neck as he continued to kiss me, and I forgot how to breath, I forgot why to breath, I forgot everything, including myself…

And then it was over. Cross pulled himself away from me, pushing himself roughly to the other side of the room, sitting as far from me as possible. It took me a moment to regain myself and to realize what had just happened. I slowly sat up, brushing my untidy hair down and straightening out my wrinkled clothing. I breathed in and out, trying to steady my heartbeat, and stared at him, trying to remember what had happened. Then it all hit me again, and all my common sense came rushing back over me as I remembered and I felt slightly sick, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to scream at him and hit him or laugh and kiss him again.

In the end, I did neither. I just sat still, watching him as he stared out the bars of the cell, motionless, his face in a tight frown. For a moment I wondered if I had imagined the entire thing; this wasn't the last way I expected Cross to act after kissing me. Was I that bad of a kisser?

He finally turned back to me, his face dry of humor. I just sat in silence, waiting for him to explain his mood swings.

He took a deep breath, and then muttered, "Sorry." My eyes widened a bit, and I was once again taken off guard. What was it with this man? Was there anything about him that was consistent? One second he's smiling, the next he's kissing, then he's moping? How was I expected to be able to follow his train of thought if it moved in zigzags? "We can stop playing the game now. It was a bad idea anyway," he continued, standing up and gazing out the bars. He kept his back towards me, but I didn't complain. I needed a minute to calm down.

Because, even though I hated to even _think _it, I wouldn't have really minded to finish the game.

**Author's Notes: Sorry that took FOREVER for me to write. I lacked motivation for a while there, but now, here it is! I hope you liked it! Please review and let me know just what you thought!**

**One chapter left!**


	5. Return to NormalcyOr Not!

I looked around, taking a deep breath before falling down onto my bed. I felt like it had been _years _that I had been locked up in that cell with Cross.

At the same time, it all had happened so fast that it had seemed like a blur, too. One moment I was there in that cell, feeling hopeless again. It was right after Cross had had another one of his mood swings. I was so confused at that point that I was sure I was going to go crazy. I was upset with myself for not only letting Cross kiss me, but for also being disappointed when he had stopped. He sat in the corner silently, and I was so thrown off by his change of mood that I just fell right asleep without another word, only to wake up the next morning to Cross shaking me, saying that he knew how to escape.

Suddenly, he knew how to escape. I wasn't buying it. Something, a soft, haunting voice in the back of my head, kept insisting that I was wrong – that it wasn't a coincidence. He had purposely been caught during his first attempt to escape. I couldn't be too surprised knowing that he had purposely stayed locked up with me.

I wasn't sure what to think of that, either. The fact that he had known all along how to get out and hadn't bothered to share it with me. Instead, he had led me to believe that we were permanently trapped together, and had spent another long, tiresome day with me. I knew Cross was a flirt, and a pervert, but I had never thought him to be so persistent. I was nothing special, and he dated plenty of girls before.

Yet he had waited around, wasting time he could use with girls who wouldn't play hard to get, to try and break through my shell.

Then when he finally about to win, he had raised his white flag.

I sighed heavily. Was he ever going to make any sense? You'd think that after spending so much time with a person, you'd start to understand how they thought. Cross was an entirely different story, I supposed.

I walked out of my room, Lau Shim on my shoulder, and began to wander aimlessly through the halls. It was true that Cross and I were seeing entirely different things in the world – I was seeing the right, and he was seeing the left. Still, it was hard to imagine that he could be so entirely incomprehensible.

I sighed, stopping by one of the windows that looked out over the grounds of the Black Order. Cross had realized he had stepped over an invisible line when he kissed me. He had thought it would have bothered me, just when we were beginning to talk civilly to each other. I was sure that was it. He had overreacted, though.

Then again, if he had kissed me on our first day of being captured, I would have thought he wasn't upset _enough _for what he had done. How fast I had changed in a matter of three days.

Now that Lau Shim was with me again, I didn't see any more of Cross. I walked around the entire building and didn't spot him once. With a sigh, I realized that he was already gone; off on another one of is dates. I had just been as much as a game as anything else. He had just been trying to see if he _could _win, and I suppose I had scared him off when he realized that he had been right. What an idiot I was to think that he, too, had changed a bit during these past few days.

I heard someone running up behind me and turned around to see a finder rushing towards me, holding a piece of folded paper in his hand.

"I've been looking all over for you, General," he panted.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I had been taking a walk around headquarters."

He handed me the piece of paper. "From General Cross, ma'am."

I thanked him and he turned around, running back down the hall. Cautiously, I began to open the letter.

"I wonder what this is, Lau Shim." I spread the paper open and read a short message, scribbled in Cross' handwriting:

_You already owe me a bottle of wine from the game._

I crinkled the paper up in my hand, and couldn't resist a smirk. _I_ owed _him_? Where had he gotten that conclusion?

I would have to go down to his room and sort this out.

I began walking down the hall, finding my pace picking up with each step, when the same finder spun around the corner, handing me one more note.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said, "but he'd like you to have this one, too."

I reached out, accepting it with a polite smile. I tore it open, still walking as I read it.

_And don't bring the homicidal ape, please_.

The next thing I knew, I was running down the halls to his room.

_Author's notes: Thanks so much for reading this story from beginning to end! I hoped you liked it and that you'll let me know what you thought! _


End file.
